Justin Fontaine upbeat about Michigan ARCA debut

BROOKYLN, Mich. – Set for his fourth ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start of the season, newcomer Justin Fontaine (@driverfontaine) heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway (MIS) eyeing his first career top-10 finish in Friday afternoon’s Corrigan Oil 200.

With the support of AM Racing and their development team Win-Tron Racing, Fontaine heads north to the Great Lakes state looking to bounce back from a frustrating weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

After practicing well during the series’ open test last Wednesday afternoon, Friday’s practice session saw Fontaine’s car suffer right-side damage – forcing the team to revert to a backup car for the race later in the day.

Through a never-give up attitude and the determination to finish the race, Fontaine climbed from his 33rd place starting position and gambled on fuel mileage.

Unfortunately, late in the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200, the No. 33 ProMATIC Team didn’t get the caution flag they were hoping for and had to pit under green flag conditions and settle for a 21st place finish.

With Pocono in the rear-view mirror, Fontaine is looking out the windshield and ready to get back on track at Michigan’s fast two-mile oval.

“Pocono was a little frustrating, but we made the most of a tough situation,” said Fontaine. “Without a doubt, I gained valuable track time that will be paramount for my return to Pocono next month.”

Set to make another track debut on Friday afternoon, Fontaine has spent the last few days studying everything he can when it comes to Michigan International Speedway.

From chatting it up with friends, reviewing audio and video and even conferring with advisor Kevin Cywinski, Fontaine knows that he’ll be facing another challenge, but nothing that he can’t conquer.

“Pocono was a huge track, but Michigan is huge and insanely fast,” added Fontaine. “It looks like a fun place to race because there’s seems like a bunch of opportunity to pass. But, handling seems equally important. No doubt we plan to utilize the two-hour practice session on Thursday to the best of our ability and hope we have a good foundation for qualifying and the race on Friday.”

Knowing a tough field awaits the eighth race of the ARCA season, Fontaine says running competitive and the opportunity to finish inside the top-10 would feel like a victory.

“You never know what could happen in 100 laps,” Fontaine explained. “Really anything can happen. But, for our No. 33 team, we need to go out there, be competitive and clean and run all the laps. At the end of the day, if we’re able to finish inside the top-10, it will be a huge confidence booster for me and this team to take to Madison next weekend.”

Win-Tron Racing team Principal Kevin Cywinski says Fontaine’s outlook is the best medicine for him to recover from Pocono.

“Justin was the leader of the team last weekend at Pocono,” he said. “After the strong run at Elko, we had high hopes for Pocono. Things happened and we had to fight through some adversity. Justin didn’t get down or point fingers, instead he’s the cheerleader reminding the team we’re going to be just fine.”

“And He’s right, we will.”

Currently 20th in the series’ standings, Fontaine has a career best finish of 11th at Elko (Minn.) Speedway in June.

While sticking with a heavy ARCA schedule for now, Fontaine’s focus is expected to turn towards the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he’ll compete in a limited schedule this summer in an AM Racing entry.

The Corrigan Oil 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the eighth of 20 races on the 2017 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Practice begins Thurs., June 15 with a two-hour practice session planned from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying is set for race day, Fri., June 16 at 1:40 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:00 p.m. The event will be broadcasted live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 6:00 p.m., while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the week’s activities. All times are local (ET).

AM Racing is a second-year NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team owned by entrepreneur Tim Self. Established in December 2015, AM Racing is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. Operated by Self, a native of Austin, Texas, the team is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance. The team has named Austin Wayne Self, Justin Fontaine and J.J. Yeley as AM Racing drivers for 2017.

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, Win-Tron Racing is a professional race team headquartered in “Race City USA.” Owned by former racer Kevin Cywinski, the team will compete for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship in 2017 with driver Gus Dean in the No. 32 GREE Toyota Camry. The team will also field a second entry in the No. 33 Toyota Camry with Justin Fontaine and others. Learn more at WinTronRacing.com or on Twitter @WinTronRacing.

ProMATIC Automation, Inc. has extensive experience in the integration of high-level automation technologies like robotics, laser, vision, and dispensing systems along with many years of combined experience in the design and machining of custom manufactured components.